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Girls, Celebrate your Independence

In two days we celebrate our Independence day. As we approach this day I usually picture a hamburger on the BBQ, Adirondack chairs, fireworks and kids chasing each other with water balloons. But today I think, we are lucky to live here. The land of the free. I recently saw the CNN Film “Girl Rising” where nine girls from developing countries share their stories of survival, education and hope. The film was a reminder that we should be grateful for our liberties and our education.

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“Educating a girl is one of the highest returns on investment in the developing world.” www.girlrising.com

Here in the USA, it doesn’t matter which political party you are affiliated with or which religion you follow, you have that choice. Despite the flaws in our education system, we are offered free education no matter your gender, race or culture. Despite the flaws of our government, we should be thankful for democracy. Despite disagreements and political outcomes, we have a voice. We have laws that protect us and people that enforce it. For the most part, we feel safe. Of course there is always an exception but we should be mindful of the fact that in some developing countries girls are deprived of an education and some are even killed for voicing their opinions. WE ARE LUCKY. Women should be educated and empowered because in doing so they have the ability to change everything.

I wake up everyday knowing that my dreams are alive and free in this country. We should celebrate this country’s independence day as our own. Happy Independence Day gals!

“Educating a girl is one of the highest returns on investment in the developing world. 66 million girls are not in school… When a girl is educated she can change her life, her family’s life, her community, her country, our lives”

Thanks for reading!
Z~

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Letter to My Younger Self

Today I am happy to share with you a very special contribution that I made for another blog called “Now That I’m in My 30’s”. I called it “Letter to my Younger Self”. Hope you like it! There’s a bonus video too!

“Letter to My Younger Self”.

Thanks for reading!
Z~

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Father of the Bride

It’s Father Day this Sunday! Have you thought about what you want to give dad for his special day? Well, in my Mother’s Day post I included several suggestions that are also applicable for Dad. In case you missed it, click here for a reminder of what those were. I encourage you to write to your dad. It can be so rewarding for both of you! In fact, that is what I will do in the following paragraphs.

I am very fortunate to have a dad that loves his family unconditionally. He, as the provider of the family, surpassed all of our expectations. I didn’t know that back then but as I grow older I notice the hard work and dedication he put in for all of us. He’s a role model, a teacher and an inspiring father figure.

My dad loves to share his wisdom with anyone that will take it. To this day, I still don’t listen to all of it (oh well) but many people go to him for words of advice. It usually involves setting goals, time management, writing things down, thinking ahead, saving money and how to pack the most efficient cooler for the beach. Important stuff! I kinda just learned it all by conditioning. I get a high out of crossing things off of my “To Do” list! Wheww! Done!

My dad claims his least favorite movie is “Father of the Bride”. We know he secretly loooves Steve Martin and Martin Short in this movie but the reality of walking his daughter down the aisle seemed like the most terrifying thing in the world. I got married on November of 2011. We all thought my dad would be crying a river and quite possibly attempt some sort of stunt to stall the wedding. Well, as it turns out, he was the happiest man alive that day and so was I. Seeing him smiling from ear to ear was a joy. I’m so proud of him.

In short, to the man that introduced us to Michael Jordan, boating, hard work, catching lizards, congas, The Beatles and a mean air guitar, thank you for lifting us up and showing us how it’s done. Most of all, thank you for showing us your best version of yourself. I love you “papito liiiiindo”!

See? Just open your heart and the words will flow. Just like John Mayer says, “Say what you need to say” and just like my dad says, “Don’t leave things for tomorrow when you know you can do it today. That’s it. Just do it!”

Thanks for reading and Happy Father’s day!
Signature_Zania

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6 Things to Consider if You’re Planning on Getting Plastic Surgery

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635490_phnst (Photo credit: Digi_shot)

I’ll tell you a little story… Back in 2004 a representative of the Miss Puerto Rico Petite Pageant asked me if I wanted to compete for that year. I shut it down immediately because it wasn’t something I was interested in. After they insisted, I took a meeting only to bolt out of there when they told me that they would have to plump up my boobies. I think I laughed out loud as I picked up my purse. Sorry boys! That just wasn’t going to happen. I was, and still am happy just like this, A cups and all.

That said, I understand that plastic surgery can be a touchy subject. I’m ok with plastic surgery only if it’s done for the right reasons. What do I mean by right reasons? Read on…

1. Make sure that whatever it is that you are planning on changing is something that you’ve thought about for a really long time. By long time, I mean years and years. With this, you will be able to differentiate impulse from reality. Suggestion: Use the age of 21 as a benchmark. If at the age of 21 you’re still thinking about breast augmentation then go ahead. If you’re doubting it, extend the benchmark to 25. If at 25 you’re still doubting it, then that’s a clear sign that you’re probably better off not doing it. My mom always said “When in doubt, say No”. I refer to that all the time and it works!

2. Make sure that  you are doing it for yourself. You should not, by any means, go under the knife because a boyfriend, a parent, or pageant is telling you to do so. This is your body NOT theirs.

3. Consider that some of these surgeries are serious. You may need general anesthesia, you are being cut open and your body needs a long time to recover. Oh, and you will be in pain or discomfort for a while. Think about it. Is it worth it?

4. Can you afford it? Big one. Don’t do it if you can’t afford it. Just don’t. You have to make sure your are financially secure first. What if you suffer some complications after surgery? An infection perhaps? You might need to cover that on your own.

5. Have you considered counseling for those drastic plastic surgery procedures that you are yet unsure of? Maybe there is an underlying issue that’s clouding your judgement.

6. Get an excellent plastic surgeon. Look for recommendations and talk to ex-patients. Make sure the doctor is fully qualified and once there ask as many questions as you can. Your doctor must be attentive and make you feel comfortable. If he/she says “Ain’t nobody got time for that” RUN.

Remember that all celebrities look amazing on the cover of magazines because they are AIRBRUSHED! ¡Asi cualquiera! I encourage you to first love yourself! You are beautiful & unique! Watch this short video “All Airbrushed Anyways” on how this is affecting what women think of themselves. The very best way to be happy and beautiful is to feel it! xoxo

Credit: MAKERS.com
Credit: MAKERS.com

This post is inspired by a recent article published on Endi.com (El Nuevo Día –  Local Puerto Rican newspaper) about our Miss World, Nadyalee Torres having undergone plastic surgery to improve her nose and breasts. While she looks great, I just hope she did it for herself and not for the pageant. Read article here (in Spanish).

Nadyalee Torres Miss Mundo Puerto Rico

Thanks for reading! Click on the Follow sign (bottom right) to subscribe to these posts via email!

Z~

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Am I forgetting something?

dory-nemo

About a year ago I started noticing that I was forgetting things more than usual. I would ask the same question to the same person and he/she would have to retell the same story all the while I’m thinking, “Uh, she HAD told me this before!” I even started reading a book and 30 pages in I realized that I had already read the book!

Then, the forgetfulness started kicking into full gear when I started to get really unhappy at my job. There was absolutely no interest on my behalf to stay current at my job. I didn’t feel challenged because I didn’t want to be challenged. I would come home from work, exercise, cook, have dinner, watch some TV, talk with my husband for a while, shower and go to bed only to do the same thing again the very next day. My mind just didn’t want to function by the time I got home. I was uninspired, tired and feeling blah. It was a series of articles, TV segments and conversations that enabled me to identify the problem which later brought me to the following conclusion; I wasn’t challenging my mind enough and consequently I was loosing it.

Continue reading “Am I forgetting something?”

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The Pace of Success

Hello!

I recently came across an article on Bloomberg Businessweek on Arianna Huffington, the founder of the Huffington Post. (You can read the article here). She speaks about pushing herself to the limit and ending up getting 5 stitches around her eye because she fainted due to exhaustion.

Take a moment and look at your life. Are you pushing yourself too much? It’s okay to say NO sometimes to the things that drag you down and it’s okay to say YES to the things that bring you peace! Listen to what your body and your inner voice is telling you… Psst, “slow down”, “don’t take that call”, “go to sleep a little earlier”… If you find yourself struggling with this, just take a breather. Literally. Take a deep breath in and out. Then do what makes you happy.

I’ll give you a small example of how one simple action can lead to satisfying results. While working at my old desk job I was desperately attempting to finish a report that was due that same day. Suddenly my desk phone started ringing. My options were to; 1) take the call and potentially have a new task/situation on my hands or 2) not take the call, prioritize the report and reply to the call later.

I knew option #1 would have made me a little more stressed, frustrated and distracted. Hence, I opted for choice #2. I let the call go to voicemail and I was able to finish my report on time. I was then ready to attend to the missed call without having to worry about the report.

I have seen some people that are indeed taking on too much and therefore suffering because of it. Everyone works differently, you just have to adjust your life to whatever works out for you. Define what success is for you and then put it to action.

If you read the article I mentioned above, the last paragraph is my favorite. “If success continues to be defined as driving yourself to the ground and burning out, it will be disastrous for our families, our companies, and our world… If success doesn’t include your own health and happiness, then what is it?”

Thanks for Reading!

Signature_Zania

What do you think? Are you struggling with the “pace of success” as seen on this article? Tell me about it! Comment below!

¿Que crees? ¿Te encuentras pasando por lo mismo que pasó Arianna? ¡Cuéntame abajo en los comentarios!

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Welcome to Zania.net!

Hello beautiful people & welcome to Zania.net!

On my first blog post I would like to tell you a bit about who I am, what this blog will contain and why it is coming to life.

My name is Zania. I’m 30, married and living in Miami, FL with my husband and my brother. I just resigned from my job in corporate America for two important reasons; 1) I was miserable and 2) I wanted to put my talents to work 24/7. After years of being numb at work I decided it was time to snap out of it and be true to myself and work towards achieving my dreams. I’m now working from home, building my brand, starting a business and starting to blog (amongst other things). I’m also in search for the highly sought after “flextime”. I figured this would come in handy for when I have kids in the future. Thankfully, I have my family and friends to support me while going through this risky part of my life. Could not be more thankful to have them in my life. {For more on my background click HERE}

Here at Zania.net my goal is to share with you a few of my favorite things such as beautiful spaces, inspirational moments, pieces on women empowerment, curiosities and who knows what else could be posted! I’m in the process of learning about myself and figuring out how to move forward with all of the ideas that clutter my mind. I thought a blog provides a platform where my ideas could be made public while in the process maybe help or inspire others. I’m scared as heck but excited to find out what the future holds! I am fully aware that it won’t be easy, and it will take me some time to find my voice, but that only makes me want to work even more. Stay tuned if you want to join me on this journey!

Thanks for reading! Have a nice day!

Signature_Zania

Have you taken a leap of faith like this before? Tell me about it! I want to listen and learn! Comment below. 

¿Ház tomado algún tipo de riesgo que te haya aterrorizado? ¡Cuéntame! ¡Quiero escuchar de ti y aprender! Los comentarios van a abajo.